Classroom Mailboxes

To maximize my space in my classroom, I use a shoe organizer for my mailboxes.  This has been working for me for 4 years.  My students have classroom jobs and two people manage the mailboxes, then on Thursdays everyone gets their "mail" to take home.  It is an easy, expensive way to keep our papers organized. 

Drawer Decor

Do you have clear plastic drawers in your classroom that you wish weren't clear?  That is an easy fix!  Cut and tape in scrapbook paper of your choice!  Instant drawer decor that covers the mess!

Status of the Class

A fabulous 4th grade teacher and myself were talking after school one day and decided that we wanted a better way to keep up with our students reading.  Something that would be the kids responsibility and easily visible!  We created the "Status of the Class."

Each morning when the kids come in they write down the initials of the book they read and from page to page what they read.  For example: "HP 68-104" meaning Harry Potter and they read pages 68-104 that night.

If you forgot your book at school you highlight your box in yellow and use the title of the book you read instead.

If you are abandoning a book from before, you highlight your box in red and prepare to have a conference with the teacher. :)

If you finished a book, you highlight your box green and begin filling out your reading response card.

This allowed us at a glance to see how students are finishing books.  

Math Game Storage

I have tried many different ways to organize math games and pencil boxes are definitely the easiest and most convenient!  Each game is divided up into pencil boxes and inside the pencil boxes the game pieces are in plastic baggies.

Pencil boxes used for storing math games!

Math Lab

This section of my room is dedicated to our "Math Lab", a place for students to have lots of interactions with different games, books, vocabulary, etc. all about math!  As the year progresses, I will move more games and literature out.  Having these games out and available will remind them and myself of all of the things we have.  

Easy Erasers

Do your students use several tissues to wipe off their white boards? An easy solution to give students an eraser at their seat... pom-poms!

I hot glued pom-poms to the top of dry erase marker for students to have easy access to erasers and my tissues weren't wasted. Easy and cheap solution!

Cereal Box Creativity

I have so many different boxes and folders to organize my classroom, but making them personalized for my classroom brings that extra piece to the room.  For this project, I just used cereal boxes and a wheat thin box.

I first put duct tape at the bottom of the boxes to secure the boxes.  Then I just used scrapbook paper to wrap the boxes. 

I think these boxes will look great in the classroom!

PLC Binder Cover

On our team we have our "PLC Binder" where we keep all of our professional readings and articles, student data, team information, etc.  I want to spice up our binders in a fun way, so I made these covers for each binder. I used the cricut to cut out all of the pieces. 

Book Nooks

Because we have comfy spots in the classroom, we use a book nook system. This allows everyone to spend the same amount of time in these special seats.  The kids really like the book nooks, because they know exactly where they can go that day and how long they have until the seat they want.  My librarians take care of rotating our clips daily.  Here is a link to my book nook chart.

Seat Sacks

Two years ago now, my fifth grade classroom had only tables.  So, as I prepared for the new year, I came across the seat sacks that Lakeshore Learning was selling and decided then I wanted them.  My mom and I went to the store and bought outdoor fabric in five different colors, we took a chair from the school and begin to create the seat sacks that I still use today.  

These have been amazing, and have held up so well!  Definitely a great investment!

Crazy Crate Bench

I am very excited to put my new crate bench in my classroom next year!  This really didn't take long and wasn't very expensive.  I got 4 crates from Target at $5 a crate, the baskets are also at Target for $4, and then I picked up the fabric at Walmart at $8.  At Home Depot, I had them cut wood the length of the four crates together, 54 inches.

Using a staple gun, I stapled the fabric to one side of the wood.  Then put stuffing on the wood.  Then pulled the fabric tight and stapled the other side.  Creating the cushion.

Then I stapled zip ties on the bottom of the board and zip tied it to the crates.

I am very excited to add this to my classroom for another place for students to enjoy a good book!